Dr. Robertico Croes, assistant director of the Dick Pope Sr. Institute for Tourism Studies at the Rosen College of Hospitality Management recently published a book titled,聽The Small Island Paradox: Tourism Specialization as a Potential Solution聽that defines and analyzes the growth and prosperity of small island destinations.

Dr. Croes explains the cyclic paradox as a conceptual trap, 麻豆精品 S淪mall islands cannot grow in economic terms because they are small, and they are small in economic terms because they cannot grow. 麻豆精品 S� This direct correlation is influenced by the underlying premise that 麻豆精品 S榮mall is ugly and big is beautiful. 麻豆精品 S�

This study assesses the complexities surrounding tourism growth within thirty islands in the Caribbean,聽Mediterranean聽and Pacific. Croes elaborates,聽 麻豆精品 S淚n my journey to get answers, I noticed how poorly endowed small islands are in terms of rigorous and comprehensive research, particularly in the tourism literature. 麻豆精品 S�

Croes 麻豆精品 S� book will be used as a supplemental resource guide for graduate courses taught at the Rosen College and is available for purchase through聽.

In addition to his extensive work with the Dick Pope Institute, Dr. Croes serves as interim chair of the Tourism, Events & Attractions department at the Rosen College.

DPI researchers completed a project titled 麻豆精品 S淭he Economic and Tourism Potentials of the Aruba Soul Beach Music Festival. 麻豆精品 S澛� The six-day festival, held May 28-29, 2011, included a concert series with current Billboard chart artists, daytime events, nightclub parties and comedy events.

More than 250 festival attendees were surveyed with regards to their perceived value of the event and its overall economic contributions.聽 The survey assessment showed that the festival was successful from both a management and destination perspective, although there are several areas for opportunities.

麻豆精品 S淭he study is among the first to empirically assess the relationship between discounting and performance in a lodging industry context, 麻豆精品 S� explains Semrad. 聽 麻豆精品 S淚t provides a theoretical framework that is practical in its application to assist practitioners. 麻豆精品 S�

Semrad developed a model constructed on lodging managers’ daily operational needs to maximize and increase revenues through the sale of the firm’s core product — rooms. Her research provides managers with a rational “how to” set room prices as opposed to “what they should not do” regarding the use of discounting as a pricing strategy.

Semrad 麻豆精品 S檚 dissertation committee included Dr. Croes (chair), Dr. Parsa, Dr. Wang, Dr. Robinson and Dr. Kline.

Dr. Croes shares, 麻豆精品 S淭he value to the lodging industry [in Kelly 麻豆精品 S檚 research] is real in that hotels’ rooms departments are the primary revenue producers for the firms.聽 Without the sale of room nights, a hotel firm would collapse. 麻豆精品 S澛� Croes heralds Semrad 麻豆精品 S檚 research as the first empirical manuscript that evaluates the most commonly used pricing strategy in the industry — discounting.

Semrad is now an assistant professor with the University of Florida 麻豆精品 S檚 Department of Tourism, Recreation and Sport Management.聽 聽She teaches Intro to Hospitality & Tourism Management, Hospitality Management, and Event Management & meeting Planning.

麻豆精品 S淭he required research, teaching, and service [in my current position] is a near extenuation of that required at Rosen, 麻豆精品 S� says Semrad. 聽 麻豆精品 S淭hat is certainly a credit to my major advisor, Dr. Robertico Croes, my committee, and Rosen College, 麻豆精品 S� says Semrad.

The Institute will be preparing a strategic plan for the development of tourism in Aruba in the 21st century, aimed at maintaining and improving Aruba 麻豆精品 S檚 competitive position in the Caribbean in this century.

Additionally, the strategic plan will assist in generating sustainable growth in the tourism sector in a socially acceptable, environmentally sound and economically viable manner. The project will employ a variety of methodologies including focus groups, competitiveness analysis, surveys, marketing intelligence reports, supply analysis, and a variety of other tools. The Institute is expected to finish the project in November 2011.

The Dick Pope Sr. Institute for Tourism Studies was established in September 1979 in the College of Business Administration of the University of Central Florida, through a $25,000 donation by the Orange Blossom Chapter of the Florida Public Relations Association. The funds for this donation were collected at an annual Roast and Toast of the Association, which honored the late Dick Pope Sr., then the owner of Cypress Gardens and the first commercial tourist entrepreneur in Florida.

The Institute’s mission is to improve the quality of the tourism product and increase the benefits of the tourism industry to the State of Florida and the local Central Florida community. For more information, please contact Robertico Croes, Ph.D., (407) 903-8028 or robertico.croes@ucf.edu.

The graduate students made ten research presentations and five poster presentations.聽 Rosen College Associate Dean, Dr. Youcheng (Raymond) Wang, shares 麻豆精品 S淎ll of [the students] did a wonderful job in presenting their research to their peer graduate students and faculty members from 麻豆精品 Srograms throughout the world. 麻豆精品 S�

Additionally, Rosen College 麻豆精品 S檚 Dr. Khal Nusair, Dr. Nan Hua, and graduate student Xu Li, won the Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Technology 麻豆精品 S檚 2010 Best Paper Award. 聽The paper is entitled “A conceptual framework of relationship commitment: E-travel agencies.”

Dr. Wang describes the conference as an excellent opportunity for the graduate students 麻豆精品 S渘ot only for their research agenda, but also in terms of networking which may well lead to future job opportunities.”聽 He adds, “We will continue to support them. 麻豆精品 S�

The conference was held January 6-8, 2011 in Houston, Texas, and was co-hosted by the Conrad N. Hilton College of Hotel and Restaurant Management, University of Houston School of Hotel and Tourism Management and The Hong Kong Polytechnic University.